What to tell an electrician when power keeps tripping
A trip is the board doing its job. The useful part is which device opened, and what was happening in the minute before.
Safety switch or circuit breaker
A safety switch, also called an RCD, opens when current leaks, often to earth. A circuit breaker opens when a circuit draws too much, or when there is a short. Many newer boards use a combined device, an RCBO, which does both for one circuit. Look at the switch that is down, or sitting in the middle, and read its label. "Power", "lights", "oven" and "RCD" are different jobs.
What to write down
Note the time, whether it was raining, and what had just been switched on: a kettle, a heater, a dryer, an air conditioner, outdoor lights. Say whether other circuits stayed on. If you unplugged everything on that circuit and it still will not reset, say so. A smell of burning, a warm fitting, crackling or scorch marks matter more than a guess about the cause.
What to leave alone
Reset a switch once if there is no smell, heat or scorch and the area is dry. If it opens again immediately, leave it off. Do not hold a safety switch on, and do not open the board. If there is immediate danger, call Triple Zero (000). This website does not dispatch a crew.
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